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memoir

Books and men don’t always go hand in hand. Unless it’s “Knife throwing for Dummies” or “The Idiot’s Guide to underwater warfare,” it’s often hard to get a guy to commit to reading something longer than the back of the cereal box or humorous political comments in his twitter feed. This might surprise many of you, but some men actually read novel length books and biographies, as well as self-help dummy books.

Lucky for me, my husband loves to read when he gets a chance, so when the holidays and other things seemed to take over my life lately, he agreed to read and review The Missing Matisse for me. It took longer than anticipated because he ended up being sick for the past two weeks. But I think you will be pleased with the results. Once his brain fog cleared from the fever, he finished the book and wrote this articulate and helpful review. Enjoy!

This memoir was interesting reading even for a fiction lover like me. Maybe a fascination with World War II stories helps in some respect, but Pierre’s story is very compelling. Pierre’s depictions of pre-war life for he and his family were different from my notions of the time. Even his recollections of Parisian life before the war was interesting and different to me, which made clear to me the drastic ways that war affects everyone, not just those in the rage of the conflict. Pierre’s interactions with the famous artists that his family knew and entertained give us insights into their personal characteristics and quirks. His recollections of his life as a youth make you smile.

Pierre’s young adult involvement with the resistance, the dangerous missions he embarked upon, his relationship to his father, and how these affect his identity, help the reader understand the decisions he makes later in life. Pierre’s identity issues reveal themselves in so many ways through the memoir, as seen in the relationships with his wives and children, even his relationship to work. The resolution to his identity crisis in the later chapters brings hope for the future and clarity to the trials and turmoil of his life. This read was worthwhile, informative, and enjoyable for me. I would recommend it.

~Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I don’t read a lot of memoirs, but I want to share a book I just finished – Saving My Assassin – an extraordinary memoir filled with courtroom drama, political intrigue, persecution, suspense and danger. Set in Romania during the brutal communist regime of President Nicolae Ceausescu, Virginia Prodan’s story is both frightening and inspirational.

Romania didn’t lose their freedoms overnight, but slowly the government took everything of value from their citizens until they were left only with fear and desperation. Some spied on their own neighbors and families in order to remain in favor with corrupt government officials and to get a few comforts of life like extra food, clothes, or a vacation. Others kept their mouths shut, heads down, and eyes closed to the horrors around them, hoping the securitate (secret police) wouldn’t take notice and they would stay alive.

It’s hard to believe much of this story took place less than three short decades ago. In America we take freedom for granted but once you read this book you may have a hard time taking anything for granted again. It all seems so frighteningly possible in the political and social climate we’ve been living the past few years.

Virginia Prodan grew up in what you might call a dysfunctional family, without any or very little real affection shown her. She was treated differently than the other children, more like a slave in fact, and didn’t know why. She must have been a tough little girl because she turned out to be quite a resilient young woman.

As a teenager, Virginia realized that truth was a commodity that rarely existed in her world. It had gone the way of freedom, liberty, and the Dodo bird. Nevertheless, she had a thirst for truth and justice and thought that if she became a lawyer she’d be able to find that for others. Little did she understand that having laws on the books to protect Romanian citizens was no more than a ruse to stay in the good graces of the West, and lawyers were expected to ignore them in favor of whatever their dictator ordained.

Virginia’s conversion to Christianity as a young lawyer turned her world upside down. Freedom in Christ was a wonderful new reality and she was infused with a strength and boldness she never knew before. But it was not without danger. In the early 1980s, Romanian Christians were arrested, beaten, and imprisoned for owning a Bible or going to church. Church buildings were even bull-dozed and their land confiscated. Freedom of religion did not exist. President Nicolae Ceausescu set himself up as a god and expected Romanians to worship him alone. Those who refused were punished and oftentimes murdered.

Virginia was arrested multiple times, beaten and threatened. She was told over and over that her life was in their hands and they would kill her. But knowing for a certainty that her life was actually in God’s hands, she refused to live in fear of what men could do to her.

“I should be dead. Buried in an unmarked grave in Romania. Obviously, I am not. God had other plans.” Virginia Prodan

Saving My Assassin is a wonderful story of the redeeming love of Christ. It’s also a timely reminder that freedom is a precious commodity and so easily lost when people forget why truth matters and are willing to let go of certain unalienable rights in favor of empty promises.

Virginia’s courage and faith in the face of such evil is truly inspiring and well worth the read. I encourage you to pick up a copy!

Virginia Prodan is an international human rights attorney, an Allied Attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, and a sought-after speaker. Exiled from Romania since 1988, Virginia currently resides in Dallas, TX. She has two daughters, Anca and Andreea, and a son, Emanuel. Visit her on twitter @virginiaprodan, Facebook and on LinkedIn.

*I received a complimentary copy of Saving My Assassin from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

Thanks for stopping. Leave a comment or question below.

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery Novels, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, The Second Chances series, The Amish Bloodsuckers Trilogy, and The Double Barrel Mysteries, Roadkill and Much Ado About Murder. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and pups.

Sometime back, I met the author of Trailer Trash online through the great, mysterious reaches of Twitterverse. I stumbled upon Stacey Roberts’ blog one day and started reading. I was supposed to be leaving the house for some reason or other, but instead I sat glued to the computer screen, tears running down my face, practically choking to death on laughter. My husband was watching television in the next room and I kept yelling out, trying to share my mirth in a garbled, hysterical way that I’m pretty sure he didn’t understand a word of. Before I had finished reading that blog post, I was hooked.

I had no idea these short stories would result in a book, but I was excited when I heard they had, knowing the hilarious exploits of a young boy, his onion-loving Jewish mother and his older brother (Layne, the favorite) would give me hours more entertainment and laughter.

Trailer Trash is a book you just have to share. Stacey’s stories of childhood and beyond are filled with crazy characters, bizarre circumstances, near-death experiences, and inedible food that could have killed a lesser person but instead gave him a totally new perspective… the perspective of a humor author.

I’m just glad his lungs were “cooked” enough that he survived being a preemie baby and lived to tell his tale. You’ll have to read the book to understand that. I suggest you get started. Life is too short not to laugh your way through it. Trailer Trash will start you on your way.

Thanks for stopping by!

Barbara

Barbara is the author of the Fredrickson Winery novels, Entangled, Crushed & Savor, the award winning thriller, Split Sense, Christian suspense novels, Running Home and Alias Raven Black, and the young adult series The Amish Bloodsuckers. She lives in Minnesota with her husband and two lovable mutts.

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